Language

English

Publication Date

3-1-2026

Journal

Diabetic Medicine

DOI

10.1111/dme.70205

PMID

41548112

PMCID

PMC12900498

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

1-18-2026

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Abstract

Aims: Little is known about how different aspects of social relationships relate to diabetes self-management and glycaemic outcomes in young adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D). We examined relationships of general and diabetes-specific social variables with diabetes self-management and HbA1c. We hypothesized diabetes-specific factors would more strongly associate with self-management and HbA1c than general social factors.

Methods: We analysed baseline data from 100 young adults with T1D (Mage = 19.9 ± 1.3 years) enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of a paediatric to adult care transition intervention. We examined associations of self-reported general and diabetes-specific social factors with self-reported self-management behaviours and HbA1c in 4 separate multiple regression models. Models controlled for demographic and medical variables with significant bivariate correlations.

Results: In the general social factor models, the only significant predictor of self-management behaviours was general emotional support (Β = 0.208); there were no significant predictors associated with HbA1c. In the diabetes-specific social factor models, getting help with diabetes (Β = 0.37) and pandemic-related diabetes support (Β = -0.33) significantly predicted self-management behaviours and getting help with diabetes (Β = -0.26) and diabetes disclosure/social support (Β = 0.24) significantly predicted HbA1c.

Conclusions: Diabetes-specific social support is important for medical and behavioural diabetes outcomes in young adults with T1D during this transitional period. Preparation for transfer may benefit from assisting young adults in seeking direct help with diabetes management from family and friends. More research is needed on how to help young adults acquire practical diabetes support to enhance clinical care.

Keywords

Adolescent, Female, Humans, Male, Young Adult, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1, Glycated Hemoglobin, Self Care, Self-Management, Social Support, Transition to Adult Care, self‐management, social support, type 1 diabetes

Published Open-Access

yes

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